Healthy Chelsea Gray opens training camp ready to help guide driven Aces
Las Vegas Aces veteran point guard Chelsea Gray dribbles against newest teammate Jewell Loyd during Day 1 of traning camp. PHOTO: Courtesy Las Vegas Aces
By W.G. RAMIREZ
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Vision sharp as a tack, Chelsea Gray took the ball near the top of the key, assessed the situation, and delivered a dime through traffic to A'ja Wilson.
It was only Day 1 of training camp for the Las Vegas Aces, but the drive for her fourth WNBA title in what is somewhat of a redemption season for the veteran point guard - ahem, Point Gawd - is underway.
And make no bones about it, Gray appears to be in mid-season form.
"I mean, she's our Point Gawd," Wilson said. "She's the Point Gawd for a reason. She gets us organized. She gets us in line.
"I may handle the big dog leadership shit, but Chelsea kind of handles us and gets us straight on the court - and that's always. I'm so happy that I have her by my side. She had a phenomenal Unrivaled season, and you can see that she's transitioning over to here. We're happy that she's healthy 100% and on go."
Healthy, as in Gray's nightmare of coming into last season less than 100% after foot surgery the previous offseason, enduring what was a physical campaign with a target on the backs of the then two-time defending champs, a trip to Paris midseason for the Olympics, and the grind into the postseason where they were eliminated by the eventual champion New York Liberty - whew - is a distant memory.
Now, two months after captaining Rose BC to the first-ever Unrivaled Championship and winning the Finals MVP Trophy, she's ready to grab the 2025 season by its jugular.
MOMMY CHELS
If there was a saving grace for Gray last year, during one of her most tumultuous seasons ever, it was the family she'd built with her wife, Tipesa.
Together since 2014 and married in 2019, the couple brought their son Lennox into the world in early 2024. And being able to leave any and all frustrations at Aces Headquarters, regardless of good or bad days at the office, Gray knew Tipesa and Lennox were there to lift her spirits upon sight.
The Grays: Lennox, Chelsea and Tipesa. PHOTO: Tipesa Gray IG
Gray's love for her family is apparent upon seeing the glimmer in the 32-year-old's eyes when talking about “Tip and Lenny,” crediting them for breathing extra confidence into every aspect of her life.
"I always say, you want to pick somebody that you can grow with, and has that growth mindset," Gray said. "And we kind of match, because we both had that. ... She's seen it all, she's my first line of defense. If I'm going through something, or (I'm) happy, she's the first person I want to run and tell. And then you bring our child into the world."
For instance, after winning a Gold medal last summer in the Paris Olympics, Gray immediately looked into the crowd to find her wife and son, and then her parents. She couldn't wait to share her jubilation with the people who lift her spirits and provide her with the motivation to do what she does best.
And for the Grays, right now, that's Lennox.
"Chelsea loves being a mom,” Tipesa Gray said. “Her and Lennox are BFFs and have so much fun together. Last year was a really tough year for her, but I think coming home to Lennox helped her through it. She was so present that it was a break from all the noise and all the things that weren’t going her way at the time. He lights up when he sees her, and I think that helped keep her light through some hard moments."
Added Chelsea Gray: "He makes me enjoy these moments so much. He's been around in the off-season, in the gym and stuff, when we're working out, because he loves basketball already. He loves it. He loves to pick up the ball, (he) makes (days) lighter. Hard day at work, you come home to him and he's ready to play and have fun. And so it's always great, and it's just a different vibe that you have when you have a kid at home that's just so innocent, doesn't know, doesn't have a care in the world."
Gray said she is thankful her wife and son were able to relocate to Miami during the Unrivaled season, especially since they showed up on South Beach with a crawling little guy and left with a son who was walking.
"It can be a huge motivator when you become a mom, because you want to set the example for when your child is watching," Aces president Nikki Fargas said. "Even though little man is young, he still can feel and sense her getting in extra shots, or when she's doing extra work. I mean, you can still feel that. And it takes a village to raise a child, and she's got a great wife in Tipesa.
"And I think that allows her to still be the Chelsea Gray that we get to see every day."
THE GRAY WE SEE
The Chelsea Gray who Fargas spoke of, the one who has already played a Hall of Fame-like career, is coming into the season hungry for more after the way the Aces were cast aside last year.
Gray is starting her fifth season with the Aces and looks more like a 22-year-old full of vigor and eagerness, having used her successful season at Unrivaled to embark on her 11th year in the WNBA.
Chelsea Gray, working on the offensive end during training camp, says she is fully healthy and ready for the 2025 season. PHOTO: Courtesy Las Vegas Aces
"It's just really me being healthy, me being in a great vibe, and attention to detail," said Gray, who ranks eighth all-time in the WNBA with 1,631 assists. "Obviously, last training camp, I was not healthy. I wasn't healthy all year. I was trying to play catch-up the entire time. So it's been nice to have an off-season and feeling healthy, competing, but also coming in here healthy, and just right off the bat, into it."
Gray, who has set career highs with 212 and 291 assists the last two seasons, respectively, is on pace to surpass former Sparks teammate Candace Parker (1,634) and Aces coach Becky Hammon (1,708) on the career helpers list by season's end.
And while so many rave about Gray's offensive game and marvel at her needle-threading passes, what often gets lost in conversation is her keen defensive skills.
Gray ranks seventh with 374 career steals since she entered the league in 2015.
"She has some of the best anticipation and hands I've seen on the defensive end," Hammon said. "Equally, as good as her hands are on the offensive end, her hands are good on the defensive end. Always knows the scheme, understands space, understands angles. I don't really worry about her, honestly, on the defensive end."
But stats and personal accomplishments aren’t what’s on her mind heading into the season. Instead, it’s the chips she and her teammates have residing on their shoulders coming into the season.
"Absolutely, from the time we lost, absolutely there's a hunger in everybody,” Gray said. “The way they're moving and talking about the season, in our eyes, we've been waiting to get back at it since we lost, and seeing somebody else hoist up the trophy.
"When you're addicted and wanting to win all the time, anything less than that is not what we want. ... Everybody is ready for that moment. (We) know that there are building blocks to get there, but we know where we want our destination to be."
THE MENTOR
Newest ace Jewell Loyd, an 11-year veteran who brings with her two WNBA titles she won in Seattle, said she's anxious to play alongside Gray simply from an educational aspect, as it'll be the second time she's had one of the league's all-time great point guards in the backcourt with her.
Loyd was 22 years old when she joined Seattle's backcourt alongside Sue Bird, and was 25 when she won her first WNBA championship with the Hall of Fame point guard and three-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart.
"I mean, Chelsea's so smart," Loyd said. "Her IQ is probably the top I've seen. You know, I played with Sue. Playing with smart point guards makes a big, big difference. Just how they can manipulate the defense, but also just encourage you.
"She's just so gifted, and she probably could be more selfish. She's not because she's so talented. But I think that's probably the biggest thing, is all season I'm going to learn so much, different perspective. She's a different kind of point guard than I played with before, but she also wants the best from me and out of me."
Fargas, whose coaching blood still flows through her veins when you see her glued to practice drills, understands Loyd's sentiments and appreciates what Gray brings to the organization.
"I just love Chelsea's professionalism, I love her maturity," Fargas said. "She comes in every day (and) she's trying not to just get better for herself, but 'How can I be better for the team?' As you look at her today, she's in great shape, she's healthy. And, I tell people there's a difference between being hungry and starving, and I feel like she's starving for another ring.
"And she sets the tone in her ability to make everybody else look good, which ultimately is one of the best attributes you can have when you, in of yourself, have greatness in you. You're just making everybody else look good, make them look great. And she's selfless. I mean, she would rather throw a dime than take a shot for herself. She really wants other people, and she always puts them in a position to be successful. And that's what I love about Chelsea Gray."
